I am back in the UK again. Boy it has been four long years since I was last here. It feels good to be back. I am actually here for my brother’s graduation from Southampton University and will be here for 2 weeks. I already have many places in mind that I am planning to revisit here, especially in London, where my alma mater is. I can’t help feeling guilty though for being away from the office for that long. I guess I’ve spent so much of my time at work (even over weekends at times) that being away for this long has a funny effect on my conscience. But I guess the time away from the office should be good to revitalise my jaded body and mind. The only other thing that makes my coming to the UK a bit heavy is the thought of not seeing my fiancée for 2 weeks. Funny how 2 weeks appear like a very long time to be on leave now when 1 month of winter and Easter break seem like a short time in my studying days.
I arrived at Heathrow airport on Friday evening on a flight that left KL on the same day in the afternoon. The flight here was ok. The in-flight movie was nothing to stir up any excitement, so I was more content on playing the online video games for most of the journey (boy, time did fly when you’re playing video games). I was seated next to a spoilt kid who kept screaming to her mum for anything, or when her mum was not paying her enough attention. She must be around 7-8 years old. Rasa cam nak lempang je budak camtuh… she was throwing things around in occasional tantrums and yours truly occasionally found some food debris and snack wrappers on his lap and tray as a result. Can’t her mum tell her to behave? And her whole family was talking to each other so loud (there were 6 of them in all) you could be forgiven for thinking the whole family was deaf.
Anyway, I then took a bus from the airport to Southampton. The first thing I did before taking the bus was buying a newspaper. Boy, do I miss the papers here. The page 3 of The Sun Newspaper here is WAY much more interesting than The Sun in Malaysia. Those who’ve been to the UK would now… :-). But I settled for The Daily Mail for a light read on the bus. Since Southampton wasn’t exactly the bus’s last stop, I had to make sure that I was conscious when I reached my stop. I was lucky. Woke up from my slumber just as the bus pulled up at the bus station in Southampton. Imagine ending up in Salisbury at 11 at night with no where to go..
Woke up at 5 am yesterday (had to, since the sun rises at 5.10 am. Kalau tak tak Subuh le jawapnya…). We all went to London yesterday, taking the 6.22 am bus from Southampton. The first thing that struck me about London was how familiar the place was still to me. I could still remember the Underground lines and the buses to take, and when walking along Oxford Street yesterday, I felt like I never left the place at all. The only thing that I forgot was how many people there always were in London, and the dodging you have to do when walking along Oxford Street to avoid walking into almost everyone else. Like my dad aptly said it, ‘macam ulat tahi’. With myself barely recovered from the jet-lag of my long journey and the time difference, it felt almost surreal, more like I was walking in a dream (it was already late at night in Malaysia by that time. So I guess it was only natural that I felt that way).
Me at Portobello Road. (Picture courtesy of my very IT literate brother)
Didn’t get to go to many other places I wanted to in London yesterday though, as we spent most of our time in Portobello Road and Oxford Street yesterday. Would love to be back in a few days and go to places like Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, walking along the River Thames, the LSE (my alma mater), the West End, and the Covent Garden just to name a few places.
Oh well, I have another long English summer day ahead of me. Hmm… what am I going to do today? Gi car boot sale? Or just enjoy walking around town in Southampton? Might as well make the best of it while I’m still here…
Gonna file a report to my beloved fiancée first.. :p. Cheerio.
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